In the construction of buildings, generally a plurality of individual building blocks is juxtaposed and joined to one another at the building site to provide the requisite structure, for example, a wall.
Prefabricated structural panels have been suggested. However, such prefabricated panels generally either lack structural strength in flexure or buckling resistance or are bulky and unwieldy. The panels of the aforementioned application, however, suffer from neither of these defects and consist of a plurality of courses joined in superimposed manner throughout the height of the panel. Each of the courses consists of a plurality of structural rectangular parallelepiped masonry blocks joined in abutting longitudinal relationship. The blocks in the vertically adjacent courses are offset from one another.
The panels are formed from a family of blocks as described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,752, allowing the provision of a plurality of different types of joint with other panels. The majority of blocks in the panel have a central core extending from the top face to the bottom face of the block and a recess in each end face. The opposed recesses in the end face of each two abutting blocks define a void of substantially the same cross-sectional dimension as the central core, the voids coinciding with the central cores of the vertically adjacent blocks in the panel.
A plurality of satellite cores, each extending from the top to the bottom face of the block, is provided in each block, one pair being positioned between the central core and one of the recesses and the other pair being positioned between the central core and the other of the recesses. One member of each pair of satellite cores is closer to one longitudinal edge of the block than the other member. The satellite cores in blocks in vertically adjacent courses coincide with one another and define continuous passages throughout the height of the panel which are out of fluid flow communication with the continuous passages defined by the coinciding voids and central cores. The satellite core-defined passages are capable of receiving reinforcement rods therein for reinforcement of the panel, if desired.
The end blocks of each course are compatible with the other blocks in the course and are appropriately chosen from the set of blocks, which includes, in addition to the blocks described above, a block in which a recess is formed in only one of the end walls and a block of half the length of the others also having a recess only at one end, omitting the central core and having just two satellite cores.
The panels constructed in accordance with this prior invention, while extremely useful in providing satisfactory structural members require labor-intensive and/or time-consuming procedures of production. The blocks require indexing to ensure correct end block form and lateral dimension of the panel, appropriate application of adhesive and building up of the panel to the required height from the blocks to which the adhesive has been applied. In the parent application out of which this application is divided, there is disclosed machinery allowing mechanization of the procedures involved in the production of structural panels in accordance with the abovementioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,752 and comprising a first longitudinally extending conveyor having a substantially fixed position and a second logitudinally extending conveyor mounted on a track for driven reciprocal longitudinal movement so that a variable portion of the second conveyor is located below the first conveyor at any time.